Warning
by moviefreak4634
Summary: Cameron knew that traumatic events were supposed to change you, but she hadn’t ever believed it, not until her husband died. After that, anytime anyone got close to her, a warning sign flashed across her head. -- Chronicles Chameron in seasons 1-3.


Author's Note: I actually came up with this premise in church. My preacher said something about trauma victims and warnings, and I automatically thought Cameron, of course. Who wouldn't?

Disclaimer: I don't own House, M.D. Well, not the show at least. I did buy the first three seasons.

* * *

Cameron knew that traumatic events were supposed to change you, but she hadn't ever believed it, not until her husband died. After that, anytime anyone got close to her, a warning sign flashed across her head.

_Warning._

It had first happened with Joe, and shortly after she'd turned to him for comfort, Cameron found herself pushing him away. She moved, took a job at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, met her colleague, Dr. Robert Chase.

_Warning._

But Cameron had no attentions of starting anything with Dr. Chase. They were colleagues after all, and that wouldn't be altogether professional. Then Dr. Eric Foreman arrived, completing their little army, and soon after he arrived, he broke the news to her of Chase's little crush.

_Warning._

She teased Chase about it, which probably hadn't been the best idea, especially since he'd asked her out shortly thereafter. "Hey, you want to go get some –"

_Warning._

Cameron broke off Chase's question with a sharp no. After that, they were okay, at least okay enough, and there were fewer warnings. They weren't gone completely, but they were gone enough. The warnings became associated with House for awhile too until that night.

Looking back, there should've been a warning that night. Cameron chalked it up to the meth, though, because there hadn't been one, not until the next morning, when the realization dawned.

_Warning._

She dressed as best she could, tried to ignore House's questioning, dealt with the patient. House had figured it out, but Cameron had kind of expected that – no warnings there. Chase brought her some medicine when he got a chance.

"Ativan will help settle you down," he told her. She knew that. She was a doctor too after all.

But all she said was, "Why are you so calm?"

"Not coming off meth helps," he replied before he took a deep breath. "Last night probably shouldn't happen again."

"Do you think I want it to?"

"When two people have had sex, unless it sucks, if they can do it again, they're gonna do it again. And that's when things get complicated. And it didn't suck."

_Warning._

But apparently Cameron didn't listen to herself closely enough because Chase was right. It just took a little time. Finally, she'd gone to him and proposed sex, stating "Despite the wisdom of pop songs. there's no point in putting our lives on hold 'til love comes along. We're both healthy and busy people. We work together so it's convenient."

Chase had sounded a little confused when he asked, "Like microwave pizza?"

And Cameron added, "And of all the people I work with, you're the one I'm least likely to fall in love with."

That probably should've been warning in and of itself, but the warning didn't come until later.

Chase asked, "So what if I'm offended by your judgment?"

_Warning._

But she'd covered, saying, "Then you're not the man I'm looking for." Apparently, Chase got over his feelings, though, because he followed her. And their "relationship" officially started.

Most of the time, Cameron could just put off her feelings, say they were just having sex. There were a couple of times, though, when she couldn't, when the warning sign flashed.

There had been the time when they were monitoring John in the sleep lab. After hours of sitting and getting nothing done, Cameron was tired. She stood and said to Chase, "It doesn't take two doctors to monitor what's clearly going to be a normal polysomnogram."

"Oh, so you want me to stay?"

"You're the one that thought there was something wrong."

"I never said it was sleep disorder," he pointed out.

"You want to flip for it?"

Chase had scoffed, then relented. "Just go."

_Warning._

"Oh c'mon, don't be a baby," she mocked, then added, "Fine, I'll stay." Then to distract herself from the warning, "You know what we could do…" Chase had agreed, not so readily as she'd hoped, but the situation had been avoided.

Then there had been a time right after that, talking to Foreman. "Where were you two when the guy woke up?"

_Warning._

Chase covered badly while Cameron kept her cool, joking with Foreman even. "All right already, we confess. You caught us, we snuck into one of the sleep lab rooms to have sex, we shouldn't have done it while we were supposed to be working and we're sorry, now can we move on?"

"House would do Wilson before you'd do Chase."

"No, you would do House AND Wilson before I'd do Chase. Now can we get back to work?"

And they had, but Chase was still bothered by the situation, as evidenced by their conversation when Foreman finally left.

"What did you want me to tell him? The truth?" Cameron had asked when Chase just kept staring at her.

"No, but you didn't have to be so convincing."

_Warning._

"Don't worry. I'll make it up to you," she said to distract herself again. This was just sex.

But Chase had to go and ruin that. "This is getting out of control."

_Warning._

"Don't pout." But Chase was right. This was getting way out of control, and Cameron didn't know how to stop it.

Then there had been Emma and her camera and that conversation with Cuddy.

"Dr. Cameron. Dating Chase… can only end in one of two ways."

_Warning._

"House told you?"

But Cuddy wasn't fooled by the sidetrack. "You get married and live happily ever after or somebody gets hurt and you two can't work together and I have to fire somebody."

"I would hate to see my personal life become such a burden to you," Cameron said.

"I'm telling you this for your own good."

"Well I assume you're going to have this same conversation with Chase for his own good."

"Chase isn't the one who's gonna get hurt here."

_Warning._

There was also that time at Fran's house. "Is Foreman right? Did you agree with me because of our relationship?" Cameron asked Chase.

"Relationship?"

_Warning._

"You know what I mean."

"You mean because of our lack of a relationship?"

_Warning._

"I mean because we're having sex."

"Yes, Foreman's right. I thought you were completely wrong about the medicine, but agreed with you anyway because I figured that then you'd do me in some old lady's home."

"Then, well played," Cameron told him, playfully guiding him to bed, pushing him down, assuaging his worries about the cat.

_Warning. Warning! WARNING!_

She still didn't listen. Just because the warning is there doesn't mean you pay attention. She tried to keep up the theory that this thing with Chase was just sex, nothing more. But Chase wasn't buying that anymore.

He told her that night. "I want more."

_Warning._

"I thought you were getting a little worn out, but..."  
"That's not what I meant."  
"I know. I was just hoping you'd take the hint and pretend you never said that."

"I want this to be more than it is."  
"I thought we were clear."  
"In the beginning, but you can't tell me you don't..."

_Warning._

"Yes, I can. And I don't. It was... fun. That's it." This time Cameron listened to the warning, listened to herself. "And now it's over."

That cleared up the warning for the time being until the case with Jasper and his sister. She and Chase were fighting all the time now, grouchy at each other, and it seemed she was trying to make him jealous by being nice to Jasper.

_Warning._

"Why did you take the flower? Why'd you kiss him?" Chase asked later when they were alone.

"He did something sweet," Cameron lied.

"He stole flowers!"

"He's eight."

"You're trying to make me jealous."

_Warning._

"Yeah, I want you to profess your love for me. Oh wait, you already did that and it caused me to end our relationship," Cameron sniped instead of dwelling on her internal alarm. The rest of the conversation went as well as could be expected, and she managed to avoid Chase. That was, until Foreman left them alone together. So, she decided to try to fix the situation.

"I didn't realize you were going to get hurt. I'm sorry I misled you."

"You didn't. You have feelings for me. You come back to me again and again."

_Warning._

"For sex. It's a simple, physical..."

"C'mon, you have feelings for puppies and patients that you barely know but when it comes to a guy that you've worked with for 3 years? Had sex with, spent the night with, you're telling me you feel nothing? Absolutely nothing?"

_Warning. Warning!_

Luckily, well for her at least, Jasper interrupted. She just wished it hadn't been by attacking Chase. At least it was distraction, a way to quell the warning bells. And then Chase got her flowers, but oddly enough, that didn't set the warning bells off. In fact, she wasn't warned again until Tuesday.

That was when Chase said, "Also, I just wanted to let you know, should you change your mind, I'll be available."

_Warning._

He finally said he'd be telling her every Tuesday from now on. Cameron thought maybe she could handle that, like he'd said it wasn't stalking. And he told her for the next few weeks, which didn't set off her warning. It was perfectly fine. Then, House fired Chase. And Cameron was concerned, probably more than she should be.

_Warning._

She went to meet Chase for dinner, even dressed up for him, and then left when he asked her stay.

_Warning._

Hours later, she showed up at Chase's door. She started when he opened the door.

"Hi," he said.

"It's Tuesday," she informed him.

_Warning._

"Uh, no, it's Monday," he corrected, thoroughly confused.

"I know, it's just… I didn't feel like waiting."

_Warning._

But Cameron ignored that warning, as she lost herself in Chase's kiss.


End file.
